Guide roller



March 29, 1966 R. G. SPRECHER GUIDE ROLLER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 24, 1963 'il iii:

1 NVENTOR. (Fa 02270221 50mm A T TORNE) INVENTOR. fay/mam 6 Sp/"aria;

A 77'ORNE) March 29, 1966 R. G. SPRECHER GUIDE ROLLER March 29, 1966 R. e. SPRECHER GUIDE ROLLER 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 24, 1963 m. y m

INVENTOR. BY Fay/7700a java/3K2" A 7' TORNE Y United States Patent 3,243,237 GUIDE ROLLER Raymond G. Sprecher, Detroit, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware 7 Filed May 24, 1063, Ser. No. 283,008 Claims. (Cl. 308-3.8)

This invention relates to a guide roller assembly and more particularly to a guide roller assembly for vehicle body window regulators.

One feature of this invention is that it provides an improved guide roller asssembly for connecting a wind-ow regulator member to a channel member. Another feature of this invention is that it provides an improved guide roller assembly including a guide roller adapted to be received within a channel member and having a plurality of integral projections thereon which engage the channel member and provide a rattle-free connection between the guide roller and the channel member. A further feature of this invention is that it provides an improved guide assembly including a guide roller adapted to be received within a channel member and having formed integrally therewith deflectable means for engaging the channel member and providing a rattle-free connection between the guide roller and the channel member. Yet another feature of this invention is that it provides an improved guide roller assembly which includes a guide roller freely received between opposing Walls of a channel member and including a plurality of projections which extend beyond one face thereof and into engagement with one of the walls of the channel member to bias an opposite face of the roller member into engagement with the other wall of the channel member and provide a rattle-free connection between the guide roller and the channel member. Yet a further feature of this invention is that it provides an improved guide roller assembly including a mounting stud adapted to be secured to a Window regulator member and a guide roller slidably received on the stud and located thereon by means of a plurality of deflectable projections which engage the regulator member.

These and other features and advantages of the guide roller assembly of this invention will be readily apparent from the following specification and drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a partially broken away view of a guide roller assembly according to one embodiment of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a partially broken away view taken generally along the plane indicated by the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view of the guide roller assembly;

FIGURE 4 is a partially broken away view of a guide roller assembly according to another embodiment of this invention;

FIGURE 5 is a view taken generally along the plane indicated by the line 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is an exploded perspective view;

FIGURE 7 is a partially broken away view of a guide roller assembly according to a further embodiment of this invention;

FIGURE 8 is a view taken generally along the plane indicated by the line 88- of FIGURE 7; and

FIGURE 9 is an exploded perspective view.

Referring now particularly to FIGURES 1 through 3 of the drawings, a guide roller assembly according to one embodiment of this invention is intended to connect a member 10, such as a lever or link, of a window regulator mechanism with an elongate guide channel 12 which may either be mounted on the body or secured to the win- Patented Mar. 29, 1966 dow. The channel 12 is generally of elongated C-cross section and includes a pair of spaced walls 14 which are interconnected by one end wall 16 and an opposite end wall 18 provided with a slot 20 which extends longitudinally therethrough.

A stud or mounting member 22 has a shouldered end 24 thereof staked to the member 10-. Stud 22 includes a head portion 26 provided with a flared annular wall 28. The guide roller 30 includes a hub portion 32 which is pivotally and slidably received on the shank of stud 22 and includes a flared seat 34 at one end thereof which is adapted to slidably seat against the wall 28 of stud 22 as shown. A series of generally angularly extending deflectable integral projections or tabs 36 extend slightly beyond the other end of the hub portion 32 and into engagement with the member 10 to yield'ably hold the seat 34 in engagement with the wall 28 and thereby axially locate the guide roller 30 on the stud 22. In the embodiment shown, three equidistantly spaced deflectable projections are used, but it will be understood that more or less may be provided if desired and that they may be spaced at varying intervals. It is intended that the guide roller 30 be formed of a molded plastic anti-friction material such as nylon and the projections 36 may conveniently be formed integrally therewith during the molding process.

A generally annular wall 38 extend-s radially outwardly of the hub portion 32 intermediate the ends thereof and terminates in an axially extending annular flange or tire portion 40 which is adapted to fit between the walls 14 of the channel member 12 and to roll therealong when the member 10 moves relative to the member 12. It will be noted that the width of the tire portion 40 is slightly less than the distance between the walls 16 and 18 of the channel member so that the guide roller 30 is freely received between these walls. A plurality of projections or deflectable tabs 42 project axially from the wall 38 and are curved slightly toward the axis of the guide roller 30, with the rounded outer ends of the projections 42 extending slightly beyond the free edge of the tire portion 40 of the guide roller. When the guide roller is installed within the channel member 12, the free ends of the projections 42 engage the wall 16 and in turn bias the wall 38 into engagement with the wall 18 to provide a rattle-free connection between the guide roller and the channel member 12. The projections 42 are generally of rectangular cross section, and the opposite sides 44 thereof taper slightly from the root thereof to the free terminal ends thereof. The projections 42 are formed integral with the guide roller 30 and the number and spacing of the projections may vary as desired.

Referring now to FIGURES 4 through 6, another embodiment of this invention will be described, and like numerals will be used for like parts. The guide roller 50 of this embodiment of the invention generally includes a pair of spaced laterally deflectable flanges or tire portions 52 and 54 which are formed integrally with the hub portion 32 of the guide roller and are connected thereto by respective web portions 56 and 58. The tire portion 52 engages the wall 16 and the walls 14 of the channel member 12, while the tire portion 54 engages the wall 18 and the walls 14 of the channel member 12. Normally, the distance between the outer faces of the tire portions 52 and 54 is slightly greater than the distance between the walls 16 and 18 so that the tire portions are slightly deflected toward each other when installed in the channel member 12 so that each in turn is biased apart from the other and into engagement with its respective wall to provide the rattle free connection between the guide roller assembly and the channel 12.

Referring now to FIGURES 7 through 9 of the drawings, another embodiment of this invention will be described and like numerals will again be used for like parts. This embodiment of the invention is similar to that shown in FIGURES 1 through 3 except that the guide roller 30 includes a plurality of generally axially extending tapered projections 60 which are normally nondeflectable and which extend slightly beyond the free edge of the tire portion 40 for engagement with the wall 16 of the channel member 12. The projections 60 are of generally annular cross section and taper continuously from the root to the free rounded end thereof. These projections are each surrounded or encased within recesses 62 which are formed by the inner surface of the tire portion 40 and spaced rib portions 64 which extend between the tire portion 40 of the guide roller and the hub portion 32.

From the foregoing description, it will be noted that this invention provides an improved guide roller assembly for use in vehicle body window regulators. Although the various guide rollers have been shown and described as being pivotally and slidably mounted on the studs 22 and including deflectable projections for engagement with the regulator member for locating purposes, it will be understood that the guide rollers may be otherwise connected to the studs, such as by means of a universal joint type connection provided by a ball-shaped head or portion on the mounting stud being received within a similar shaped seat on the hub of the guide roller.

Thus, this invention provides a new and improved guide roller assembly.

I claim:

1. The combination comprising, a channel member having spaced walls, a roller member having spaced side portions received between the spaced walls of the channel member, and a plurality of integral projections on the roller member projecting axially outwardly thereof and beyond one of the side portions thereof and seating against one of the walls of the channel member to bias the other side portion of the roller member into engagement with the other wall of the channel member.

2. The combination comprising, a channel member having spaced walls, a roller member having side portions received between and in juxtaposed relationship to the walls of the channel member, and integral deflectable projections on one side portion of the roller member extending axially of the roller member and beyond the side portion thereof into engagement with an adjacent wall of the channel member to bias said one side portion of the roller member into engagement with the other wall of the channel member.

3. The combination comprising, a channel member having spaced walls, a stud including a shank and a head portion, a roller member including a hub pivotally mounted on the shank of said stud and including a seat portion complementary in shape to the head portion of said stud and seating thereagainst, said roller being located within said channel member and between the walls thereof, and a plurality of projections on said roller adjacent said seat portion and extending outwardly and over said seat portion into engagement with one of the walls of the channel member to bias said roller member into engagement with the other wall of said channel member.

4. The combination comprising, a channel member, a support member, a stud including a head portion and a shank secured to said support member, a guide roller including a hub pivotally andslidably mounted on the shank of said stud and including a seat portion seating against the head portion of said stud, said guide roller being pivotally and slidably received between the walls 'of the channel member to operatively interconnect the support member and the channel member, and a plurality of integral defiectable axial projections on the guide roller engageable with the support member to bias the guide roller seat portion into engagement with the stud head portion and locate the guide roller and stud in rattle-free relationship. a

5. The combination comprising, a channel member, an operating member, a mounting member secured to said operating member, a guide roller pivotally and slidably mounted on said mounting member and received within said channel member, a plurality of first axially extending projections on the guide roller engageable with the channel member to locate said guide roller and channel member in rattle-free relationship, and a plurality of second axially extending projections on the guide roller engageable with the operating member to locate the guide roller on the mounting member and in rattle-free relationship with respect to the operating member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,041,446 10/1912 Dolph 16-91 2,603,267 7/1952 Simpson 152-7 2,803,492 8/1957 Wright 268126 X 2,809,827 10/1957 Bogden 268l26 2,850,333 9/1958 Hamman 308-6 2,862,703 12/1958 Leslie 268l26 X 2,898,160 8/1959 Hamman 308 2,912,288 11/1959 Griswold 308 2,957,197 10/1960 Johnson 16105 3,169,806 2/1965 Beeck 3083.8

FOREIGN PATENTS 201,577 5/ 1955 Australia.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

DON A. WAITE, FRANK SUSKO, Examiners. L, L. JOHNSON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. THE COMBINATION COMPRISING, A CHANNEL MEMBER HAVING SPACED WALLS, A ROLLER MEMBER HAVING SPACED SIDE PORTIONS RECEIVED BETWEEN THE SPACED WALLS OF THE CHANNEL MEMBER, AND A PLURALITY OF INTEGRAL PROJECTIONS ON THE ROLLER MEMBER PROJECTING AXIALLY OUTWARDLY THEREOF AND BEYOND ONE OF THE SIDE PORTIONS THEREOF AND SEATING AGAINST ONE OF THE WALLS OF THE CHANNEL TO BIAS THE OTHER SIDE PORTIONS OF THE ROLLER MEMBER INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OTHER WALL OF THE CHANNEL MEMBER. 